Letter: More Than Prayers Needed

Just wondering which schools (not to mention churches, temples and synagogues) W. B. Fisk Sr. believes deadly tragedy would bypass if only the communities “will bow down to (God) and repent” their godlessness (“Bow Down and Repent,” Jan. 1)? Would it be the Christian Oikos University in Oakland, Calif., where a shooter opened fire in April 2012 with a .45-caliber handgun, killing seven people and wounding three others? Or the Sikh house of prayer in Oak Creek, Wisc., where a gunman armed with a 9 mm. semi-automatic pistol shot five worshipers to death in August 2012? Or the Jewish school in Toulouse, France, where three children, aged 3, 6 and 8, and their 30-year-old rabbi were gunned down in March 2012 by a killer with a video camera strapped to his chest to document the deed? Or the September 1999 invasion of a teen prayer rally at the Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, by a gun- and pipe-bomb-toting murderer of seven young members of a Christian rock band audience?

To the Editor: Just imagine what would happen if a young child could send a letter directly to God. Perhaps it would go like this: “Dear God: Why do you allow this violence in our schools? Signed, Concerned Student.” The answer might be: “Dear Concerned Student: Because I’m not allowed in public schools. Signed, God.” This is a real situation, …